Beautiful
by littleoblivion
Summary: Sometimes all you need to feel beautiful is for the right person to be looking. set around Season 11. Spoilers for 200.


**(This is by far one of the cutest, fluffiest things I have ever written and I hope you all ejoy)**

Everyone said that the jump from one kid to two was rough, but they were drastically underselling it.

Michael wasn't a surprise; they had been trying for quite a while to get pregnant once JJ finally felt up to it. The miscarriage was something she would probably never truly be over, but as time passed it hurt a little less each day. Still, when the pregnancy test came back positive, she had felt confident. She was an FBI Agent for god's sake; Will was a detective for DC Metro. She felt they had done a great job raising Henry so far, especially with all of the curveballs that had been thrown their way. They would handle this baby much in the same way.

She was wrong. There was a blissful period after she came home from the hospital with Michael where it seemed as if everything was going to work out perfect. Then Will had to return to work, and she found herself at home with a tiny baby who cried far more than he slept. Henry, while initially being excited about gaining a younger brother, had quickly become jealous of the lack of attention he was receiving. He began to regress and act out, nearly causing JJ to cry out of frustration several times.

There was also the matter of her body. With Henry, she had snapped right back. At the end of her eight weeks of maternity leave, he was sleeping mostly through the night. He was an altogether easy baby, peacefully accompanying her for runs in his stroller. The weight came off fast, but even if it hadn't, she wasn't a profiler. She was only the Media Liaison. She very rarely was chasing suspects in the field.

This time around, the weight had seemed to stick around. Michael hated his stroller and any time she tried to take him out for a run he would end up screaming so she would have to turn back. She tried to get in little workouts at home but it wasn't doing enough in her opinion. Will of course said that she looked great. Even when she hadn't showered in several days and almost certainly had baby vomit encrusted in her hair, he insisted that he had never seen a lovelier sight. The few times she had mustered the energy to make love with her husband, he had worshipped the new found softness of her body with his hands and lips.

But the problem was she didn't feel beautiful. She was almost five months post-delivery, and this body felt foreign, so unlike the slim frame Spencer had once teased her for. The new stretchmarks were unwelcome additions to her collection of scars.

But tonight would be different. It was the 67th annual DC Metro Law Enforcement Gala, and they had to attend. It was something she normally looked forward to. Penelope was always more than happy to babysit, and it was an opportunity for her and Will to spend some quality time together talking about things that didn't revolve around superheroes or serial killers. It also allowed them to get all dressed up. She knew that although he would never admit it, Will loved to show her off a bit. But she didn't exactly feel like a prize tonight.

Garcia had already picked up Henry and Michael, whisking them away to her house for what was sure to be a weekend of sugary mayhem. JJ and Will had taken advantage of having the house to themselves by immediately crawling back into bed and napping until the afternoon. She had woken with Will's leg thrown over hers, his arm holding her tightly to his chest. She squirmed around to face him and couldn't help but giggle at his wide open mouth. How had she been so lucky as to have stumbled into his life? Or perhaps he had stumbled into hers. Either way, she was reminded for the thousandth time of just how much she loved him. The sound of her laughter gently roused him from his sleep. He peered blearily at her as he got his bearings.

"What are you laughin' at?"

"You just looked so cute, I couldn't help it."

He pulled her closer and pressed a few lazy kisses down the column of her throat.

"Hey, stop that. We don't have time, you'll make us late."

"We could be late," he replied, working his way back up.

"Will I'm serious. I have to shower and it's going to take a while. I haven't shaved my legs in God knows how long."

"Mm you know I love it when you talk dirty to me," he murmured cheekily into her ear.

She laughed and slapped his shoulder. "You're incorrigible."

"But I'm yours."

"That you are." She rolled them so that she was on top and pressed a sensual kiss to his lips. Then, sensing he was distracted, she quickly rolled off the other side of the bed and ran to the bathroom.

"That was paramount to guerilla warfare, Agent Jareau!" He called after her.

She poked her head out of the bathroom. "You did say you wanted me to play dirty." She stuck her tongue out.

"Woman I will come in there after you…" She laughed and retreated back inside, shutting and locking the door lest he get any ideas about joining her for a shower.

When she got out he had still had a rather mischievous look in his eye, so JJ had banished him to get ready downstairs in an effort to make sure they were on time for the Gala. She took a painstaking amount of time making sure that her hair was curled just the way she wanted. As she started on her makeup, there was a knock at the door.

"JJ?"

"Yeah. Babe?"

"Can I come in?"

"Nope."

"C'mon, I promise I'll be good!"

She smiled as she applied foundation to her cheeks. "If memory serves, that exact phrase is how we ended up with Henry."

"I brought you a snack."

She paused. She hadn't really eaten since breakfast that morning. "What do you have?"

"Cheetos."

She stood and approached the door. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Will, if I open this door and you don't have Cheetos then this is going to turn out to be a very sad night for you."

He paused. "Okay, so I don't actually have Cheetos."

"Rude! Now you definitely can't come in."

"I just want to see you." He whined from the hallway, sounding more like their six year old than a grown man.

"All in good time, baby. It's worth the wait!"

"If we had played by those rules, we wouldn't have Henry!"

"Goodbye!" she called with a laugh. He retreated back downstairs and she finished up her make up. She took her dress from the closet and gave it a critical once over. It was a floor length dark teal silk number. It had thick straps but a moderately low v neck. She gone out with Emily and purchased it almost three months ago. At that point she naively still thought that losing the baby weight would be a piece of cake, and sized down. As the night had grown nearer however, she had grown more and more nervous about whether or not it would fit.

She removed it from its hanger and slid the dress slowly on. She sent up a silent prayer as she began to zip it closed. If this stupid dress didn't fit, she was completely screwed. She would either have to attend the Gala in one of her work dresses or skip out altogether. She held her breath as the zipper slid into place. Turning to face the mirror on the bathroom door, she appraised her appearance.

She still didn't feel as beautiful as she once had; her stomach was still round from carrying her second son, she could see the beginnings of wrinkles on her face now that she was approaching forty. But she looked okay. She smoothed the soft material down over her hips. Tonight she felt more like her old self than she had in a very long time. She slipped on her high heels and grabbed her wrap and purse. Picking up her phone she realized that she had timed it so that they would arrive exactly on time. She checked her make up one last time, then eased down the stairs.

Will was sitting on the couch, looking impossibly handsome in his dress blues. JJ nervously came to stand behind him.

"Hi."

He turned to look at her, then did a double take. He clicked off the TV as he came to standing, his mouth slightly ajar.

"JJ… Jen you look amazing."

She could feel her face growing warm. "I was worried the dress wouldn't fit," she confided.

H approached her and took her hand in his. "You could wear a paper bag and you would still be absolutely dazzling."

"So… You're saying it was worth the wait?" she asked cheekily.

"Mrs. LaMontagne I would wait until the end of time if you asked me to." He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips as his arms came to encircle her. "I almost don't want to share you with anyone else."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse you, but this is the first time I've really gotten to drink since having Michael. We're going."

"Ah so that's what this is about. Silly me thought you wanted to spend time with me."

"I mean that's a nice benefit." She nuzzled her nose into the underside of his jaw, then pressed a hot open mouthed kiss there.

His hands firmly gripped her hip as her actions drew a low groan from his lips. "That's it, we're not going."

She pulled back. "Yes we are. We said we would."

He offered her his arm. "Agent Jareau?"

"Detective LaMontagne." She placed his arm on his. "Let's go."

They took a few steps before Will pulled up short out of habit. "Wait! The diaper bag!"

JJ stared at him with a bemused smile. "Garcia has the boys, remember?"

His shoulders sagged in mock defeat. "We have got to get out more," He declared with a lop sided grin.

"You're not wrong." She agreed as they left the house.

The Gala was beautifully decorated, with streamers and balloons covering almost every surface. The meal had been exquisite, and Will and JJ had both had several drinks as they talked and laughed with his coworkers.

The second half of the evening was mainly dancing. Will had been pulled away to talk to his chief, and JJ slipped out her phone and texted Garcia, checking up on the boys. She immediately received several pictures of Henry covered head to toe in what appeared to be cookie dough, as well as Michael laying on a blanket on the ground, dressed in a Doctor Who onesie that he definitely hadn't been wearing when he left.

"Sorry, I'm back. How's everything?"

JJ showed him the pictures Penelope had sent. "He's going to be up until 4 in the mornin,'" he said, referring to Henry.

"So will we, if you play your cards right," she murmured where no one else could hear. He merely smiled and squeezed her leg under the table.

"C'mon, let's go have our picture taken at the booth." He offered her his hand and they made their way across the ballroom, drinks in hand.

"I don't know, do we really need a picture?" she asked as they came to the front of the line. This wasn't necessarily a period of her life she was keen to have her photo taken.

"I want to have one so I can remember the night I felt like the luckiest man alive, married to the most gorgeous woman to ever live."

She dropped her eyes to the floor. "I hardly look like the girl you started dating all those years ago."

He pulled her to face him. "JJ. Look at me." He waited until she did to continue. "You look amazing. You always do. The very first day I saw you, I remember thinking that you couldn't possibly be any more beautiful. And every day you prove me wrong. Whether you're on TV giving a press conference, or giving the boys their evening baths, or all dolled up like you are tonight, every moment you take my breath away."

"Next?" the photographer asked.

Will led JJ forward and wrapped his arms around her. The camera flashed several times, capturing the perfect evening. Then he led her to the dance floor.

Right as they stepped forward, the previous song died out and was replaced by 'Ain't No Mountain High.' Will began to spin JJ around, making her laugh. She grabbed his other hand and began to shimmy back forth, him quickly matching her movements. They couldn't quell their giggles, instead letting their dancing becoming more and more exaggerated. She pulled peace signs across her eyes as he waved his hands in the air. He grabbed her hand and once again began to spin her around until she was dizzy and gasping for breath. As the song drew to a close, he pulled her close then dropped her into an impressively low dip.

The groovy beat was replaced by a slow piano melody. As Elvis began to sing 'Can't Help Falling in Love,' Will gathered his wife into his arms, holding her tight. They began to sway sweetly back and forth, staring into each other's eyes.

"I never would have made it this far without you," she whispered, her eyes shining brightly.

"Oh sure you would have, Cher. You would've gotten by."

"No, Will. I really don't think I would have. I thank God for you every day, for putting you in my life. You make me a better person, a better mother. I love you more than I can possibly say." She leaned up and captured his lips with her own.

They spent the rest of the evening dancing, luxuriating being in each other's arms. As the clock neared midnight, they both caught the other's eye as they tried to stifle a yawn.

Will laughed. "When did we get so old?"

"If I had to guess it would be right around when we added baby number two."

He led her back to their table and they gathered their things. JJ began to shiver as they waited in the taxi line and Will shrugged out of his jacket, settling it around her shoulders. She leaned back into him, the multiple glasses of wine making her saucy.

"You can wear my wrap if you want."

"Thanks, but it doesn't quite play up my eyes like it does yours."

"I think your eyes are dreamy all the time." She leaned in and brushed her lips along his jaw before being interrupted by the line attendant directing them into a cab.

Things grew quite handsy on the drive home, both engaged in a secret competition to see how far they could get the other one to go in a semi-public place. By the time they finally arrived home, they were connected at the mouth and not thinking of much else, JJ almost leaving her wrap in the car until the driver called after them. Once inside, clothing was quickly divested as they tripped up the stairs. She finally flopped down on their bed, pulling him with her. He pulled back and gazed down at her face, his fingers softly caressing her body. His eyes were suddenly full of tears and she propped herself up on an elbow, the other caressing his cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. In fact, it's just that. Everything's right, and I just can't believe how lucky I am to have you."

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, quickly becoming lost in the woman he was fortunate to call his wife.

And for the first time in a long time, JJ felt truly beautiful.


End file.
